Hellbent on saving the hellbender
It’s about time for Pennsylvanians to tie on a hellbender and we’re not talking about a heckuva drinking binge.
No, we’re talking about the slimy amphibian that can be found about now peeking its little head from rocks as it begins its annual hunt for a mate.
The hellbender — the largest salamander in North America and the third-largest in the world — is enjoying a day in the sun, so to speak. A movement is afoot to designate it Pennsylvania’s official “state amphibian.” Well, why not? We have a bird (ruffed grouse); a flower (mountain-laurel); a tree (Eastern hemlock); a fish (brook trout); an animal (white-tailed deer.)
And none of them is as cool-sounding as “hellbender.”
Setting aside the cachet of a state salamander that’s got a provocative name and a distinguished face (it is mucous covered), the amphibian happens to be designated with the conservation status of “near threatened” in Pennsylvania. It’s even worse in Ohio, Maryland, Indiana and Illinois where it is actually deemed “threatened.”
Left to its own devices and in a healthy environment, it can live 60 to 70 years and grow to some 29 inches in length.
Officially known as the Eastern hellbender, it goes by several aliases, including the Allegheny alligator and the snot-otter. But most important, it’s an environmental gauge in that it thrives when Pennsylvania’s waterways do. And when the waterways are polluted and filled with sediment, the salamander can’t survive. That’s because the hellbender has an odd respiratory system, with hatchlings breathing through gills that ultimately close in adulthood. Adults respirate through capillaries in specialized skin flaps.
A youth-group known as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Student Leadership Council penned a draft bill and has been whipping legislative support.They hope a state designation will bring awareness and that awareness will combat their threatened status. Native to the Ohio River watershed, environmental and student groups in Pennsylvania and Ohio have made efforts over the years to raise the salamanders, then release them into suitable environments.
Fingers crossed that state Senate Bill 658 passes in the House this session then advances to Gov. Tom Wolf. Pennsylvanians could celebrate with one heckuva hellbender.